


Can't Pretend To Love You (Because I Do)

by nickwritesstuff



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Awkwardness, Bisexual Jeremy Heere, Break Up, Crushes, Developing Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Michael Mell, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Kinda, Lies, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Making Up, Mutual Pining, Pining, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-09-06 18:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20295916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickwritesstuff/pseuds/nickwritesstuff
Summary: After months of pining after Michael, Jeremy tries to help him by getting into a fake relationship.It goes as smoothly as you'd expect.





	1. Fake It 'Til You Make It

The day started normally. Jeremy shuddered as he downed the rest of his (far too sweet) coffee and threw the paper cup into a trashcan before spotting his friends in the hall. Well, some of them. Brooke was standing in front of her locker, talking to Jenna and Jake. They smiled when they noticed him.

"Hey guys." Jeremy said after he was close enough for them to hear him. The hall was busy as usual, students rushing to their classrooms with books in hand. Jeremy had History in his first period, which he was actually looking forward to.

"Heere." Jake nodded, grinning.

"Jeremy, if you had to choose between never being able to sleep in a bed ever again, or never being able to sit in a chair ever again, what'd you choose?" Jenna asked after she looked up from her phone.

"The right answer is obviously the sitting one." Brooke started paying with her hair, looking at the ceiling.

"Hold on, does a couch count?" Jeremy furrowed his brows. Jake's eyes widened.

"Now he's asking the real questions!" he shifted his weight to be closer to Jeremy. Jenna shook her head.

"You don't get a couch." she explained. She looked way too serious for this topic, but that's just how she was. "You either have to sleep on the floor, or sit on the floor."

"Then sit." Jeremy decided, earning a smile from Brooke. He still didn't know why did she forgive him, but he wasn't complaining. Brooke was an amazing friend.

"Even in class?" Jenna's smirk was almost evil. Jeremy huffed, looking at his shoes for a second before nodding.

"I mean sleeping on the floor would mess up my back." he tried to explain. "Sitting on the floor would just mess up my nonexistent social status."

"No way, you're like totally popular now." Brooke shoved him gently. "You hang with the cool kids."

"Why do I feel like you meant kidz? With a Z?" Jenna chuckled, but Brooke didn't say anything. Jenna laughed again after a couple of seconds. "I thought so."

"Jenna, what did I say about tormenting Brooke?" Michael appeared next to Jeremy with his backpack in his hand. Jeremy smiled slightly, reaching out to do their handshake. That's one thing they never stopped doing, not even after the Squipcident.

"I'm not tormenting her, Mell." Jenna rolled her eyes, acting annoyed. "I'm barely bullying."

"Hey!" Brooke laughed loudly, pushing Jenna's shoulder weakly. "Why do you hate me, Jen?"

"Because you call me Jen." Jenna finally let out a short laugh. Jeremy rolled his eyes with a smile before turning his full attention to Michael. He looked good as usual, but Jeremy didn't miss the dark circles under his eyes, or the energy drink he was trying to get out of his bag.

"You okay?" Jeremy asked just loud enough for Michael to hear. He nodded, but motioned towards the hall with his free hand. Jeremy understood, and quickly excused themselves from their friends.

"So?" Jeremy sat down on a bench in the yard. Michael followed him with a sigh as he opened the energy drink.

"It's my moms." he explained.

"They're still trying to set you up with a guy?" Jeremy made a face after Michael bit his lip. That looked like a yes. "Jesus, dude, just tell them to stop."

"I have!" Michael shifted in his seat. "They said they'd stop, but..."

"They didn't." Jeremy finished his sentence. Michael nodded again. Jeremy placed a hand on his arm, pulling him into a half hug. "They will. Eventually."

"Gee, thanks." Michael laughed softly as he laid his head on Jeremy's shoulder. "I'm going back to the closet."

"See you there." Jeremy grinned, but the moment was interrupted by the bell, causing Jeremy to practically bolt out of the embrace. Mr Jones was a great teacher, but he didn't tolerate students who were late for class.

"See ya at lunch!" Jeremy managed to yell before sprinting down the hallway, stepping into the classroom just in time. He sat down right before Mr Jones entered the room with a pile of papers.

"Today, we'll start with a quick test..." he grinned, earning a ton of groans. This day's already fun, Jeremy thought sarcastically as he pulled out his favorite pen.

Lunch came slower than it should have. After the History test - which Jeremy probably failed, by the way, - he had to act like he understood math, which was not easy. At last, the bell rang and he navigated his way through his classmates to find the cafeteria already full.

This used to be a situation that could've possibly caused mild panic before, but now Jeremy easily spotted Christine, Jake and Chloe at a table.

"Hey, guys." he sat down at the opposite side of them after he made his way towards their pretty much empty table. "Where are the others?"

"Brooke and Jenna are probably making out." Chloe said, not even looking up from her phone.

"You wish." Jake rolled his eyes. "It'll take at least a month, and you'll pay."

Christine put down her book at that, and looked at Jake seriously. "Did you two make a bet on their life?"

"Uh." Jake stared back, laughing nervously. "This is an interesting question, how's your book?"

"You are the worst." Christine laughed as he looked back to Jeremy. "Jenna told me she had to find one of her teachers because he messed up her grade, and Brooke went with her."

Jeremy gave her a thankful smile before reaching into his bag, pulling out a cereal bar. After the SQUIP, he couldn't eat as much as he used to. Well, he could, he just didn't want to.

"Rich has an audition for the football team." Jake chimed in, resting a hand on Chloe's back. Jeremy furrowed his brows.

"Wasn't he trying to get into the lacrosse team?"

"Yeah, that was last week." Jake nodded. "And baseball before that."

"Don't forget basketball." Chloe snickered. Jeremy had to bite back a laugh at the memory. Rich was upset for a whole day yelling something about his height. It was hilarious.

"Stop bullying Rich." Michael sat next to Jeremy a moment later as he placed a box in front of him. "Sushi."

Jeremy smiled weakly, and slowly but steadily started eating. It sort of became a tradition. Jeremy wouldn't eat unless it was Michael who asked him to. They both accepted that, and now they didn't even need to talk for it to happen.

"Michael, are you sure you don't want to try out for the play this year?" Christine asked, her voice full of hope. Michael shook his head.

"I'm sure I don't want to try out for it any year."

"Oh, come on!" Christine sighed. "You'd be great. Really. Amazing. Outstanding."

"Jeremy, control your ex." Michael laughed, earning a weak punch in his shoulder. "Ow."

"She's not my property, you misogynist bastard."

Christine looked almost proud as she continued reading her book. Jeremy smiled at her, and turned back to Michael.

"What?" Michael asked, mouth full of food. Jeremy grinned.

"Not even tech?" he asked innocently, laughing when Michael banged his own head on the table.

"Did you finally break Michael?" Rich appeared out of nowhere.

"Make it stop." Michael whimpered as Jeremy and Christine laughed simultaneously.

"Shouldn't you be at the football field?" Jake furrowed his brows, turning his attention away from his girlfriend.

"They said I couldn't try out, because, I quote, I'm not reliable enough." Rich rolled his eyes, simulating quotation marks with his fingers before he took a seat next to Michael.

"That sucks, man." Jake made a face. "What's next?"

Rich shrugged. "This was the last sport, cause I can't swim. I still have... chess."

The table erupted in laughter as they imagined Rich playing chess. It'd probably end with him flipping the board in rage. Maybe even the whole table.

"Why do you even want to be in a team so much?" Chloe asked. Jeremy saw the exact moment Rich's smile got replaced with a fake grin.

"I'm bored all the time, why not?" he asked back. Chloe nodded as if she said fair enough, and she continued to talk to Jake quietly. Jeremy leaned over to Rich behind Michael.

"Hey, I just remembered I have to find Mr Dawn before class, wanna come?" he grinned quickly, and Rich nodded. They stood up and left the cafeteria without any problems.

"What's the real reason?" Jeremy asked as they stepped out to the hall. Rich visibly tensed before relaxing again. He probably knew what Jeremy meant.

"Dunno what you're talking about." he smirked. Jeremy sighed. This guy was impossible sometimes.

"Yeah you do. At least tell Michael, I know you guys are close."

A hint of annoyance slipped into the second sentence even though Jeremy tried to stop it. Rich looked taken aback for a second.

"I don't want to bother him."

"Then bother me." Jeremy grinned. Rich was a good guy. He spent a little too much time with Michael, but Jeremy couldn't blame him. Still, he wanted to be a good friend, so he tried.

Rich huffed before leaning on the wall behind them. "It's my dad."

Jeremy thought he'd continue, but seconds passed in silence. "What about him?" he asked reluctantly.

Rich flinched, as if Jeremy scared him. "When I was Squipped, I fucked up our relationship even more. My brother moved out in the meantime, so it's just me and dad."

Jeremy gently placed a hand on Rich's shoulder. "Why didn't you say so? You could hang out with any of us."

"I didn't think you'd want me around." Rich shrugged, looking a bit surprised.

"As long as you don't push me down the stairs..." Jeremy laughed softly, and Rich joined in soon enough.

"Thanks, Tall-ass." he said as he left Jeremy on the hall.

"I'm still not that tall!" Jeremy yelled after him, laughing as Rich's fingers formed a heart over his head.

As soon as Jeremy turned around to get his bag from the cafeteria, he bumped into Michael.

"Sorry." he mumbled immediately. Michael just smiled and gave him his bag.

"You left this inside." he explained. Jeremy huffed as he took it, resisting the urge to flinch when their fingers brushed. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"For what?" Jeremy asked, raising a brow. It was Michael who brought him his bag, shouldn't this be the other way around?

"Rich." Michael shrugged. "He didn't want to tell me what was wrong, so I told him to tell you."

Jeremy couldn't stop the surprised yelp. "What? Why?"

Michael gave him a face that screamed 'are you serious' before he decided to elaborate. "You and Christine are the therapist friends. We can go to either of you with our problems, and if you can't solve them, you make them seem better."

Jeremy's mouth hanged open for a few seconds before closing it, then opening it again. He never thought he could be useful in a group. He was always the one who was just there while everyone else had a role.

"You look like a dead fish." Michael chuckled. "Hey, mom said she and mama won't be home today, wanna come over? It's been a while."

"Yeah, cause you always cancelled last minute." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "I'll just tell dad before he gets all worried and stuff, but I'm pretty sure he'll say yes."

After he sent the text, his dad responded with a "Have fun, champ", making Jeremy smile. He was proud of his dad, especially after what they'd both been through. He showed the screen to Michael, who grinned back.

"See you at the car after school." Michael said when the bell rang, and left Jeremy near the door, who had to stop himself from staring after Michael. He had some more classes to get through.

After an exhausting day, Jeremy made his way towards the parking lot just outside the school. He immediately spotted Michael's old PT Cruiser, and Michael himself next to it.

"Finally." Michael sighed exaggeratedly, making Jeremy roll his eyes with a smile.

"It's not my fault, Ms Brown wanted me to help her put away the stuff after Chem." Jeremy explained before he climbed into the car, placing his bag in his lap like usual.

"Is Ms Brown the hot one?" Michael furrowed his brow while he started the car.

"As hot as a woman in her sixties can get." Jeremy laughed. He knew Michael didn't keep track of his teachers, since they were almost always in separate classes, but at least he tried.

"Ah. I bet you two had..." Michael stopped teasingly, and Jeremy was already groaning.

"Don't you dare-"

"Chemistry." Michael finished, and if he weren't driving, Jeremy would've definitely punched him. But he was driving, and Jeremy was not in the mood to die, even though dying next to Michael sounded nice.

"I hate you." he mumbled instead, but couldn't hide the laughter in his voice.

"Nah." Michael laughed as he stopped the car. Jeremy didn't even notice they were already there. They left the car and headed towards the door, where Michael stopped abruptly.

"What?" Jeremy asked, biting his lip. Was something wrong? Michael looked worried.

"It's not locked." he managed to say before the door swinged open to reveal one of Michael's mothers, Laura.

"Hey, honey." she smiled widely. "Jeremy! Long time no see."

"Hi-" Jeremy started, but Michael's rushed voice interrupted him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here." Laura chuckled as she went inside, the boys following her. "Your mama had some work to do, so we're going to the spa tomorrow. She's upstairs, do you-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Michael asked, voice still too tense. Jeremy shot him a questioning look, but Michael avoided eye contact with him.

"I didn't think it was a big deal." Laura said. "Is it?"

"N- Of- of course not." Michael stuttered. Jeremy's eyes widened. Michael never stuttered, when he was close to it, he always went silent.

"Sure. Just leave the door open." Laura smirked, earning another confused look from Jeremy. What was happening?

"Jeremy, could you go downstairs?" Michael asked, still looking at Laura. "I need to talk with mom."

"Uh. Sure?" Jeremy rather asked than said, and easily navigated himself through two rooms before opening the door for the basement/Michael's bedroom.

Michael actually used to have a bedroom upstairs, but after months of hanging out in the basement, he and his moms moved his bed and closet there. Jeremy smiled at the memory. He and his dad helped too. His mom was still around, and she made the best gluten-free pancakes while they were moving the furniture.

He looked around the room. It was pretty big; despite the bed, the table and the small TV, there was still enough room for the beanbags they bought years ago. Jeremy huffed and sat on the bed, leaning against the wall, careful not to knock off any pictures or posters. There were pictures in frames of Michael and his moms, then a lot more of Michael and Jeremy. A lonely polaroid hung on the wall, showing the whole squad, even though half of Jake's face was out of the frame, and Jeremy's eyes were closed.

"Hey, sorry bout that." Michael slammed the door behind himself, making Jeremy jump.

"So what was that whole thing about?" Jeremy asked after Michael sat down next to him.

"Nothing important." he said just a bit too quickly. Jeremy raised a brow (he was actually practicing this move in the mirror, and he was finally at a point where it didn't look weird).

"So now we're lying to each other too?" he tried to hide how hurt he was feeling. They'd been through a lot, but they never lied. Well, almost never. Of course they had secrets, like how in love Jeremy was, but it was different. Michael tensed, but didn't say anything. Jeremy sighed when their eyes met and saw the fear in Michael's stare.

"Sorry, I'm a jerk." he said eventually, moving his hand towards Michael's, but stopped halfway through the action. "But you can tell me. I'm the therapist friend, remember?"

That earned a weak chuckle from Michael. "I know, it's just... Stupid. You don't need to know."

"I want to though." Jeremy moved so he was facing Michael, who took a deep breath before looking back at him.

"You know how my moms are trying to get me a boyfriend?" he asked, and Jeremy nodded. "It's... Fuck. It's you."

Jeremy blinked once before shaking his head slightly. "What?"

Michael started fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, just like he used to years ago. "They want me to date you. Well, mom does, mama tries to stay out of it, and- and that's why I never called you over, because I was scared you'd be un- uncomfortable being here, or... Or being with me, and-"

"Michael." Jeremy finally took his hand, making him stop. "It's okay. I'm not uncomfortable, you're my best friend. Just stop hyperventilating."

Michael nodded, trying to steady his breathing. Jeremy smiled reassuringly, stroking the back of his hand. He was also screaming internally, because Michael literally just told him his moms would've been okay if they started dating. Michael wouldn't, but Jeremy's brain didn't care about that little detail at that moment.

"Better?" he asked after a few moments, and Michael nodded.

"Sorry for freaking out on you."

Jeremy shook his head again, trying to reassure Michael before releasing his hand. It was getting weird (and probably sweaty).

"So what do we do?" Jeremy's question hung in the air for a few seconds before Michael shrugged.

"If you tell them the same thing I have been, it'll just be weird." he explained. "We should probably ignore it. Or I'll get a boyfriend."

Now, listen. Jeremy knew Michael was joking. But a small little voice inside him believed he wasn't, and that sent him spiraling down. What if Michael gets a boyfriend, who'll he love, and Jeremy will have to watch from the sides, pretending to be a happy best friend? This is why he said what he said.

"Or we could fake it."

Michael's eyes widened in (probably) confusion, and Jeremy could tell he looked the same. But he said it now, he couldn't back out.

"Fake what?" Michael asked, and Jeremy leant forward a bit as he shifted in his seat.

"A relationship. For a few days, then we break up, and your moms stop bringing it up."

The silence hurt Jeremy's ears, but then Michael spoke again.

"Let's do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please leave a comment and/or leave kudos:)
> 
> (Also, I will continue The Hansen-Heere Project, I'm just pretty much stuck on a chapter, so send me some positive energy!)


	2. We Have A Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it a problem though?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, switching POVs cause that's cool nowadays.

Michael didn't know the reason he agreed to do this. It could've been the fact that he wasn't sleeping like a normal human being does, or that his moms's endless teasing started to tire him out even more, maybe that it seemed fun. It was probably the latter.

"Uh. How do we do that?" Jeremy asked, his voice unnaturally high. Michael furrowed his brows. He didn't want to do this if it made Jeremy uncomfortable. It wasn't a secret that Michael was gay, he was pretty proud of it actually, but Jeremy was different. Maybe because most people act like bisexuality doesn't exist, perhaps he was just scared of coming out. It didn't matter. Jeremy was fidgeting with his hands before he suddenly stopped.

"We don't have to if you-" Michael started, but Jeremy interrupted him with a simple wave of his hand.

"It's okay, just don't let dad find out." he said quickly. "We could mess up our hair, and maybe clothes."

Michael nodded, that sounded like a good start. He took of his signature red hoodie, and buried a hand in his hair, trying to make it look messy.

"How's that?" he asked, but Jeremy just laughed nervously.

"This literally didn't do anything." he said. Michael huffed, cheeks growing warm.

"Well then why don't you do it?"

Jeremy looked like Michael asked him to kill a dog, but he moved a bit closer and moved his hands towards Michael's hair. It felt... nice. Surprisingly nice. Jeremy lightly tugged on his hair, and oh gosh, that felt even better. Michael had to close his eyes for a second, because he was scared he'd moan or do something even more embarrassing.

After a few very awkward seconds, Jeremy pulled back. "Here. You look awful."

Michael laughed, and pulled his shirt a bit to the side so his neck was more visible. That's when he had the brilliant idea. "One of us should get a hickey."

"A what now?" Jeremy asked. He sounded a bit breathless, but Michael didn't care to notice.

"A hickey. That would make mom want to talk for sure!"

"Do you even know how to give a hickey?" Jeremy looked away for a second, then back to Michael.

"I'm pretty sure there's a WikiHow article?" Michael rather asked than said as he lowered his shoulders in defeat. No, there was no way he could give Jeremy a hickey.

"Nope. The first one I gave was terrible, and I'm not gonna walk around with something that looks like a spider bite on my neck." Jeremy made a face. Michael's eyes lit up with a new idea as he grabbed Jeremy's arms. "What?"

"Give me a hickey." Michael said like he had the best idea of the year. It kinda was though. Jeremy knew what he was doing, and it was Michael's parents who had to be fooled. It was perfect.

"Wh- no way, what about school?" Jeremy stammered. "We can't just tell them that we're fake dating now."

Michael shrugged. "Why not? They'd be supportive for sure. They might even be helpful."

Jeremy looked like someone who wanted to say something, but stopped himself just in time. Michael made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"Okay." he said finally and moved even closer to Michael in a matter of seconds. Michael moved his head so Jeremy had better access, and then...

Oh shit.

Michael bit his lip as Jeremy's mouth pressed to his neck, moving slightly as he started sucking. It felt weirdly good. Then Jeremy's arms snaked around Michael's waist, pulling him closer, and Michael almost couldn't bite back a moan. He grabbed Jeremy's arms, who pulled away to mutter a soft apology against Michael's skin, then continued. Michael's head fell even more to the side, his lips parted unintentionally, and he couldn't seem to let go of Jeremy.

He gulped. How long did it take to make a hickey anyways? It seemed like they'd been in this position for minutes now, but Michael didn't want it to end either. This was weird. Michael felt weird, he felt ways he shouldn't feel around his best friend. Of course, said best friend shouldn't be giving him a hickey either. His breath hitched as Jeremy moved slightly closer, changing the angle. He could do this, he could do this, he could-

"Done." Jeremy pulled back. Michael did his best to look presentable while he let go of Jeremy's arms, but as he looked up, he noticed Jeremy was avoiding eye contact. Shit, he probably noticed Michael enjoyed this. But of course he enjoyed it, who wouldn't like a moderately attractive guy sucking their neck? This didn't mean anything.

"How... How does it look?" Michael asked, having to stop halfway through to clear his throat.

"It needs a bit more time to show, but it'll look cool." Jeremy said, a bit too loud in the quiet basement, causing Michael to jump. "Sorry."

Michael shook his head, it wasn't Jeremy's fault. It was the growing awkwardness in the room that made Michael jump anyway. This was a stupid idea, but now they didn't really have a choice.

"We should mess you up too." he said, gesturing towards Jeremy. While Michael looked like he was making out with his boyfriend for the last hour, Jeremy just looked like Jeremy. Too perfect.

Too perfect as in no wrinkly clothes and tingling skin. Michael didn't think it was fair.

"Yeah, fair enough." Jeremy said before he started to make his hair look crazy. Michael chuckled when Jeremy was done and grinned at him proudly. Sure enough, he looked like he spent the day in bed. Good enough.

"Maybe turn your shirt out." Michael furrowed his brows as he tried to make this look believable. "Then I go out, mom notices the hickey, and when you come after me, it'll look even more obvious."

Jeremy nodded, and started to pull off his shirt before he stopped. "Uh could you turn around?"

Michael was thrown off by the question, which resulted in a confused nod. They always changed in front of each other. Fuck, Jeremy was probably thinking Michael wanted to see him naked.

Did he though?

Of course not. They were best friends. You don't just want to see your best friend naked. It would've been weird anyways, right? Like how would they even have sex-

He stopped himself before he thought of something he shouldn't have. What the hell was wrong with him? It was probably just the situation. Yeah, that confused his brain. That must've been it.

"I'm done." Jeremy said quietly. Michael turned around, and damn. Jeremy looked really good like this, shirt turned out and it showed a bit more of his left shoulder, his hair was messy, and he was sitting on Michael's bed all red, and-

"Cool." Michael managed to produce a quick grin. He should really stop with these thoughts. "Then I'll go up for uh..."

"Water?" Jeremy suggested.

"Yeah. Perfect. Then you wait a minute, and come after me, and if everything goes well, we'll be dating by 4PM." Michael tried to laugh it off.

"Good luck, boyfriend." Jeremy snickered as Michael stood up to leave. He took a deep breath, and opened the door.

He went to the kitchen, and it all went according to plan. As he took out a bottle of water from the fridge, he heard his mom's voice behind him.

"Michael?" she asked, and Michael turned around.

"Yeah?" oh man, it was hard to act normal in a situation like this.

"Look, I'm sorry about... You know." his mom said. Michael's eyebrows rose. "I shouldn't have acted that way in front of Jeremy."

"Uh." Michael was dumbfounded. Did they prepare this whole thing for nothing? Seriously? And then, his mom's eyes widened.

"Honey... Is that a hickey?"

Now, Michael could've done the obvious thing, and deny it. His mom was genuinely sorry, which meant she would stop acting the way she had been anyways. But then he remembered Jeremy, and he felt like he wanted to do this.

So he immediately tried to cover his hickey while looking as suspicious as a teen can get. "N-no?"

"Hey, Michael, where's that water?" Jeremy finally entered the kitchen, and Michael saw the moment his mom's jaw dropped. Jeremy looked at Michael, and when he saw he was covering his hickey, he blushed and bit his lip. Michael tried not to get too distracted by that. "I guess the cat's out of the bag?"

"That bag is destroyed. It's on fire." Michael's mom said. "And you two have a lot of explaining to do."

Michael nodded, looking at the ground. His mom probably thought it was because he'd been caught, but in reality, he was trying really hard not to smile.

"Abigail!" she yelled, and a few seconds later Michael's other mom - who he called mama - appeared.

"Yes?" she asked before she spotted the boys. "Oh, hi. Didn't know you were here."

When neither of them said anything, probably from the fear of laughing, she looked at her wife.

"What's going on here?" she asked, and Michael's mom smiled proudly.

"I was right. Look at your son's neck." she pulled Michael's hand away from the hickey.

"Babe, I told you to stay out of it." Michael's mama said, smiling. "I'm proud of you, boys. I gotta go, they need me at the office."

Now that Michael really looked at his mama, she was wearing her work clothes, and had her bag in her hand.

"But-" Michael's mom started.

"I love you, bye!"

With that, only the three of them stayed in the kitchen. Michael's mom looked at them for a few seconds before speaking up again.

"Why don't we sit in the living room and talk a bit?" she asked, and without waiting for a response, she headed towards the couch. Jeremy grabbed Michael's hand and followed her.

"So." she leaned back on the couch. "When did this start?"

Michael gulped. They didn't get into the details. He was almost panicking when Jeremy squeezed his hand.

"We don't really have an exact date." he said with so much confidence Michael almost believed him. "I kissed him for the first time two months ago, but we weren't official until a few weeks later, so yeah."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Michael's mom asked. She sounded hurt.

"Jeremy's not out for his dad, and I didn't want to force him out of the closet." Michael lied like he was born to do it. "Guess I still kinda did."

"Not your fault." Jeremy muttered just loud enough for Michael to hear. It amazed him how good of an actor Jeremy was. Like he was obviously great, he was a theatre kid, but still. It was different seeing him on the stage than seeing him on his couch.

"So you don't want me to tell Stephen?" Michael's mom asked. Both of the boys shook their heads.

"I know he'll accept me, I'm just- I'm not ready yet." Jeremy explained, and Michael's mom nodded.

"It's okay, Jeremy. I get it." she smiled. "I'll leave you guys alone now. And no funny business!"

"Mom!" Michael groaned.

"Or at least use protection and-"

"MOM!"

"Okay, okay." she laughed. "You can go now."

"Thanks." Michael hissed, and pulled Jeremy out of the room.

"That went well." Jeremy said after they made their way back to Michael's room.

"Yeah. Now I just have to deal with mom trying to give me sex tips." Michael laughed as he jumped on the bed. Jeremy quickly joined him by falling into the bed, and partly into Michael's lap. "Ow."

"You deserve it." Jeremy grinned as he positioned himself so his head was resting on Michael's thighs. "You can act, you piece of shit."

"Oh my god, stop." Michael threw his head back dramatically. "I'm not gonna audition for the play."

"You're the worst." Jeremy pouted. Actually pouted. He looked adorable. Michael was getting more and more comfortable with these thoughts. This was probably a bad sign.

"Bitch, if you keep this up, I won't even bring you flowers when you nail the main lead." Michael stuck out his tongue. Jeremy giggled.

"If it's not red roses, I don't even wanna hear from you ever again."

"Do you have any idea how expensive those are?" Michael asked, cocking a brow. Was this flirting? No way, they always talked like that. It still felt different.

"Aw, am I not worth it?" Jeremy sat up just to try to push Michael off the bed. Keyword: try. Michael grabbed his hands and shoved him back, except Jeremy pulled Michael with him, so they ended up laying next to each other, holding hands. Michael's cheeks suddenly felt warm.

"Uh." Jeremy was staring at him with wide eyes. From up close Michael noticed a patch of brown in them. He hadn't noticed it for nearly thirteen years. "I should go, I promised dad I'll be home for dinner."

"Yeah. Okay." Michael mumbled, slowly releasing Jeremy, who stood up and grabbed his stuff. "Bye."

"Jeremy." Michael stopped him.

"Yeah?"

"Your shirt is still turned out." Michael breathed out. He didn't even know what he wanted to say for real. He didn't want to know.

"Oh. Thanks." Jeremy mumbled, and with lightning speed, he fixed it. Michael didn't even have time to process what he'd seen (Jeremy shirtless, holy shit) before Jeremy left the room in a hurry.

Michael groaned and pulled out his phone from his pocket. There was a new text from Lillian, his cousin. Oh yeah, she was supposed to come the next day. Michael smiled weakly as he wrote something back when he saw Christine's contact in his phone.

He could talk to her. About what? Maybe about his feelings? But she dated Jeremy, that'd be weird. Then again, this whole thing was weird. He didn't even know what to say.

After about a minute of inner debate, he wrote a quick message.

** _To: _ ** _Chris_

_i might have a problem_

_help._

He closed his eyes for a second. He wanted to know where did the day went from hanging out with his best friend to him thinking about his best friend naked. He bit his lip, and read back the text he sent to Christine. He definitely had a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo?  
Did you like it? Hate it? Want to burn it while singing Smartphone Hour?  
Don't hesitate to leave a comment, cause we all know that's what writers eat.


	3. Secrets And Overthinking Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy and Rich friendship moments, and Lillian is finally here!

The moment Jeremy was on the street, he pulled out his phone. He had to talk to someone right now, and he knew just the right person. Rich picked up after only a few seconds.

"Hey."

"Hi, are you free?" Jeremy crossed the road, trying to get further away from Michael's home as fast as he could.

"Yeah, just chilling in my room." Rich said. "Why?"

"Can you come to the park that's close to Michael's house?" Jeremy asked, biting his lip as he made his way towards the said park.

"Fuck, sure. Should I bring something? Like a shovel?" Rich asked, and Jeremy was sure he was grinning.

"What?"

"You sound like you killed someone. Did you kill Michael?"

"No, but I'm about to kill you." Jeremy rolled his eyes.

Rich laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm on my way."

Jeremy muttered a thanks and hung up right before he entered the park they were supposed to meet. The wait for Rich wasn't that long, but it sure seemed like it. What was he even going to say? It's not like Rich would have a perfect solution so Jeremy could have a happy ending. He sighed. He really fucked up this time.

"Yo." Rich appeared next to him, panting.

"Did you run or what?" Jeremy huffed. Rich only shrugged.

"You sounded like you were panicking. Were you? Where's Mell?" he asked instead as they made their way towards a nearby bench.

"He's probably in his room." Jeremy answered the easiest question, and went silent.

"Okay, spill." Rich leaned forward, eyes on Jeremy, who sighed. Now or never.

"So you know about my tiny little crush on Michael, right?"

Rich snorted. "Tiny. Sure, let's go with that."

"Anyways." Jeremy rolled his eyes, blushing before he took a deep breath. "I'm fake dating him now, and I gave him a hickey and I think he knows I'm into him."

Rich blinked a few times before a small laugh escaped his mouth. "Okay, rewind. Why are you two fake dating now?"

"His moms wanted him to date me, and I was like well then let's date, break up, and they'll leave you alone, so we did that." Jeremy said with one breath. Rich stared at him for a few moments with no emotion on his face.

"Wow. I didn't think this was possible. You outgayed yourself." he laughed finally, earning a punch in the shoulder.

"This is not funny!" Jeremy whined as he threw his head back. "He probably hates me now."

Rich's eyebrows rose. "Did he throw you out, or what?"

"No, but... Argh." Jeremy buried his face in his hands. "When I was giving him the hickey, he full on grabbed my arms, and I didn't pull away when he clearly wanted me to, he must hate me."

Rich's laugh was now louder than before. "You sure he wasn't just enjoying it too much?"

Jeremy's cheeks felt warm. So did his ears, and his everything as he thought about it before shaking his head vigorously. "Still not funny."

"It wasn't meant to be funny." Rich rolled his eyes dramatically. "He could be having a gay panic right now."

"Okay, it was a mistake to call you." Jeremy laughed finally. "Seriously though. What should I do?"

"Well what do you want to do?" Rich cocked an eyebrow.

Jeremy looked at the sky once again. What did he want to do? Kiss Michael. No, that would only make things worse. Talk to him? What would he say? What if he just reads too much into this and messes up their friendship while trying to save it?

"I want to die." Jeremy decided on his best option. Why was everything so hard? He was supposed to enjoy life with his friends. Maybe with a girlfriend, but no. He had to develop a crush on his best friend. Typical.

"I can't help you with that, but..." Rich said, dragging the last word out. "I can be your wingman."

"You're not going to be my wingman." Jeremy said, but at the same time Rich grinned.

"Wingman." he stage-whispered, pointing at himself. Jeremy sighed.

"Fine. Wingman. Get me a boyfriend." he gave in.

"Sweet!" Rich stood up. "Tomorrow we get you somebody to love more than you love Headphones."

"Would you stop with the big words?" Jeremy flinched when Rich said love. "And the nicknames too."

"Already trying to change me." Rich huffed, to which Jeremy stuck out his tongue. "Yo, I gotta go. I'll pick you up after school?"

"Good for me." Jeremy smiled. He didn't know how this friendship formed, but he also didn't know how he lived without it for so long.

"You need a ride home?" Rich turned around.

"Hell yes." Jeremy stood up as well. They were bickering through the walk to Rich's dad's - surprisingly nice - car, and they didn't stop until Jeremy got home.

"Dad, I'm home!" he yelled while he took off his shoes and threw his backpack onto the ground.

"Hi." his dad appeared in the doorway. Jeremy still couldn't help but smile when he saw him wearing pants. "Did Michael get a new car?"

"Were you spying on me?" Jeremy laughed. "That was Rich, we met in the park."

"Oh." his dad looked surprised for a second. "I thought you were hanging out with Michael?"

Jeremy sighed. He was tired, but at least his dad cared enough to ask. "After I left, I ran into Rich, and he gave me a ride so Michael didn't have to."

His dad nodded. "Okay. Just know that you can tell me anything."

"I know." Jeremy forced a smile. "I'll uh go and do my homework."

He didn't wait for any reaction, he just grabbed his bag and practically ran to his room. See, this was the problem. His dad most likely knew he liked boys, and Jeremy knew that. He just wasn't ready to say it out loud for him. It was probably stupid. He didn't even know what he was afraid of, his dad obviously didn't have a problem with this, but still.

He sighed as he took his Biology book put of his desk. He was pretty sure they had to finish their notes at home, he just didn't know from which chapter. He groaned, and texted Michael. Bio was one of their shared class (they also had IT and gym class together), so they could help each other out when they needed to.

To: Micah

Hey, what was the bio hw?

Jeremy waited a few seconds before putting his phone on the desk. Michael always replied immediately. Maybe he was helping his mom or something. Yeah, probably that.

It took him another ten minutes to reply. Jeremy bit his lip when he realized how much he was waiting for Michael to text back, and it wasn't because of the homework.

From: Micah

uhhhh make notes from page 98 i think

Jeremy flinched. Michael always wrote like this, but it still sounded like he was mad. This, and the fact that it took him so long to respond made Jeremy's hand shake.

To: Micah

Cool, thanks

He cringed when he read back the text after sending it. Oh my gosh, he was so fucking awkward around Michael, and now he couldn't even text him right? Truth be told, there was probably nothing wrong about that text, but Jeremy's brain worked differently than a normal person's.

You can't keep rereading one single line all day when you got homework, so Jeremy - even though he didn't want to, - picked up his pen. After admiring the Pacman design on it, he could finally start writing. He quickly realized it made his racing thoughts stop, therefore he didn't stop until it was time for him to sleep. He totally didn't dream about Michael.

Okay, he did, and he woke up very uncomfortable, so his day was already made. Great.

"Hi, Jeremy." Christine waved when he made it to school. Jeremy just groaned and leaned on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her. "Oof. Bad day already?"

"Hmpf." Jeremy said articulately.

"Wanna listen to High School Musical before class?"

To this, Jeremy did smile a little as he nodded, and finally released Christine. He accepted the earbuds she offered him, but left one for her as well. Since there were no benches around, they found a spot under some stairs to sit down.

"Wanna talk about it?" Christine asked after I Don't Dance was over. Jeremy sighed.

"I may have messed up everything with Michael." he said finally. Christine didn't say anything, just placed a hand on his. "I uh... I think he knows."

"Knows what?" Christine asked. Jeremy shot her a look that made her eyes widen. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"How- uh why do you think that?" Christine stammered. Jeremy furrowed his brows as he turned to look at her.

"You know something."

"No I don't!" she said just a bit too loud. Jeremy removed their earbuds. As they stopped hearing the music, the quiet between them was even more noticeable.

"You're the best actress I know. But you're a terrible liar." he said seriously. "What do you know? Did Michael tell you something?"

Christine let out a defeated sigh. "He told me about the whole fake relationship thing, but he told me not to tell you, cause you seemed stressed when he wanted to tell us."

"Was he mad?" Jeremy bit his lip.

"He was everything but mad." Christine snickered.

"What does that mean?" Jeremy raised his eyebrows. Christine's smile faded, and she stood up so suddenly she hit her head on the stairs. "Jesus, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." she laughed. "Uh I just remembered I gotta go, bye!"

Jeremy sat there for a few seconds, just staring after her. She acted weird, even for herself. Like Jeremy had gotten used to weird around Christine, she once broke into song when she helped Jeremy with History. Truth be told, Alexander Hamilton's name was mentioned, and Jeremy himself had a hard time not to sing, but still. They were in the school library.

"Miah, are you okay?" Jeremy jumped slightly when he saw Michael. It's been so long since he used that nickname.

"Yeah, just..." Jeremy forced a smile as he leaned against the wall behind him. "Hangin' out."

"Can I join?" Michael grinned, and Jeremy gave him a thumbs up. He mentally slapped himself afterwards, but that's irrelevant. "So why do you look like you're about to raid Area 51?"

Jeremy blinked. "Christine was acting weird."

"That's new." Michael laughed. Jeremy took his sweet time admiring how perfect his laugh was before forcing himself back to earth.

"No, not like that." he said as he stretched a bit. Sitting under the stairs was more than uncomfortable. Jeremy suddenly felt more sorry for Harry Potter than ever. "What did you tell her?"

Michael tensed. "What do you mean?"

"She told me you told her about the fake dating stuff." Jeremy sighed. "But then I asked if you talked about anything else, and she literally ran away." 

The silence stretched out for far too long for Jeremy's taste. He messed up, he should've shut his mouth and enjoy that Michael wasn't mad at him after the hickey incident, but no. He's Jeremy Heere, he had to say something wrong.

"I- uh we just talked about the... The thing." Michael said finally. Jeremy scrunched up his nose.

"Thing? What thing?"

Michael buried his hand in his hair - which was unnecessary distracting - before he spoke up again, seemingly louder than intended. "The play!"

"The play?" Jeremy blinked. That's not what he was expecting.

"Yeah!" Michael giggled. He never did that, only when he was nervous. "I was thinking of trying it out, you know, for tech. But I didn't want to tell you, cause I'm not sure I'll have time, so yeah."

Jeremy's face flushed. He was overanalyzing things again. Of course Michael would talk to Christine about the play, and not him. She was the star of the school anyways. Yet, it still stung a little that Michael didn't tell him until he had no other choice. 

"Sorry." he choked out. Michael raised an eyebrow. "But it'd be really cool if you'd join us. You could come to rehearsals and stuff."

"Yeah. We could hang out even more."

It was seriously not fair that anything Michael did looked good. More than good. Even under the stairs, with spiderwebs in his hair, Jeremy wouldn't have hesitated if he got asked to kiss him. Damn, he got it bad.

"Oh, speaking of hanging out." Michael looked up suddenly. "Lillian's coming today, not sure if you remember her."

Jeremy snorted. "Of course I do. She pushed me off the trampoline."

"You deserved it though."

"What kind of fake boyfriend are you?" Jeremy laughed. 

"The perfect kind." Michael's grin was contagious. "Anyways, wanna come over and meet her? It's been years since you two saw each other."

"Sure." Jeremy smiled before smacking his forehead. "Shit, no. I promised Rich we'll hang out after school."

"Bring him too." Michael shrugged. "I can't deal with her alone, especially now that she thinks we're together."

Jeremy made a face. "Does she ship us too?"

"So hard." Michael nodded. "My family's fucked up."

"Yeah. I like them though." Jeremy smiled. "I'll ask Rich if he's okay with it."

It turned out that Rich was more than okay with it. 

"It's easier to be a wingman where you're already dating a guy." he said after Jeremy talked to him in free period. Great, out of five people (not counting Jeremy,) four wanted them to get together. This was gonna get tiring really fast.

After the final bell rang, Jeremy met Michael and Rich next to Michael's trusty PT Cruiser. Rich couldn't get his dad's car this morning, because he went to work with it, so he called shotgun, leaving Jeremy the backseat. 

"Oh, by the way." Michael said after he was done with changing the radio station after Rich changed it (again). "Lillian changed quite a lot. So don't get scared."

"Scared?" Jeremy laughed. "We're talking about the girl who climbed into my bed because the My Little Pony episode was too scary for her."

"If I recall correctly, you were just as scared as her." Michael snickered. "But seriously."

"Is she hot though?" Rich asked, still trying to change the music.

"Dude, gross." Michael laughed. "We're talking about my cousin."

Jeremy gulped as Michael slowed down, then stopped the car completely. As they all left the Cruiser, the front door swung open, revealing a girl.

Now, Michael warned him, but now Jeremy realized he wasn't exaggerating. Lillian used to have dark brown hair, similar to Michael's own. Now she was rocking a very light purple color, which complimented her dark skin nicely. She was still shorter than any of them, but she tried to fix this with the most brutal high heels Jeremy had ever seen. They were even brighter than her shirt, which was an accomplishment.

"Micah!" she yelled, and somehow managed to run in those shoes. Jeremy didn't know much about them, but based on Chloe's constant complaining, he had an idea. She hugged Michael before looking at Rich and Jeremy. "Jere? Oh my gosh, you didn't change at all!"

"I'd say the same, but I'd be lying." he smiled carefully, and opened his arms. Lillian took the silent invitation, and wrapped her arms around Jeremy as well.

"And you are...?" she turned to Rich. He looked like he was frozen for a second before giving Lillian a wide smile.

"Rich." he said, going for a handshake, only to get stopped by Lillian giving him a hug as well. 

"Nice to meet you." she smiled. "So. When was I supposed to know you two are dating?" she motioned towards Jeremy and Michael. Jeremy bit his lip.

"I already told you, we didn't tell anyone." Michael stepped in.

"Yeah, but still." Lillian rolled her eyes. "After all those pathetic texts about how perfect-"

"That'll be enough!" Michael shrieked. Jeremy looked at him with wide eyes. What the hell was happening? "Is mama home for once?"

"Yep." Lillian said. "She's helping Laura cook."

"Mama in the kitchen?" Michael's eyes widened. 

"Yeah, I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Lillian laughed. Jeremy looked at Rich, but he was staring at Lillian. Great, he was alone in his confusion. 

"We should at least say hello." Michael said, finally turning to Jeremy and Rich. He spent a glare towards Rich, who finally stopped looking at Lillian. Jeremy on the other hand couldn't pry his eyes away from Michael. He looked mad, but Jeremy noticed his lips curved upwards, and he looked pretty relaxed overall. Jeremy sighed when Michael turned around, and yelled to let his mothers know they were there. 

"Okay, we can hang out in my room, or-" Michael got interrupted with Lillian.

"No way, I didn't come here to get high. I can do that in Orlando easily." 

"Well what are your ideas, princess?" Michael asked sarcastically. 

"Let's go to the movies!" she said with shining eyes. "There's a new romcom I wanna see."

"There's no way you're making me watch a romantic comedy and pay for it." Jeremy laughed.

"Oh, come on. Michael will pay for your ticket." Lillian stuck out her tongue. "That's what boyfriends do anyways."

"I'm in." Rich said suddenly, startling everyone in the group. Lillian grinned like she just won the lottery, while Jeremy just groaned.

"I trusted in you." he said, pouting. "And yet you betrayed me."

"C'est la vie, Heere." Rich smirked.

"Ah, you speak French?" Lillian asked.

"No, don't be impressed." Michael said before Rich had a chance to. "He just learns the most cliché sentences in various languages to impress his new victim."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rich laughed loudly. Soon enough, everyone joined him as they made their way towards Michael's car.

"Okay, so cinema?" Michael asked before starting the engine.

"Yeah. Like a double date." Lillian joked, making Rich choke on thin air. Jeremy looked at Michael, face probably redder than the apple he ate for breakfast. This was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so what are your thoughts? This was the first time I've ever used an OC in a fanfiction (or anywhere else, really). Don't hesitate to leave a comment, because they seriously make my day! ❤️


	4. Double Date Double Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens in the cinema stays in the cinema. Except when it doesn't.

Michael's hands were gripping the wheel tighter than ever as everyone around him was having the time of their lives. Well, at least Lillian and Rich were, Jeremy was just staring out the window.

Look, Michael would've been fine with this. He actually liked romantic comedies, even though he'd never admit it in front of anyone other than his family and Jeremy. But then, his dear cousin had to throw in big words like boyfriend and double date, and these made Michael realize this was all fake.

He purposefully didn't think about Lillian almost spilling everything he'd ever said about Jeremy. Of course, he didn't like him, at least not before. The texts he sent to Lillian said otherwise though. As Michael read them again, he had to realize these feelings were always there. He just needed an extreme situation to realize them, and I'd say your best friend practically sitting in your lap while trying to give you a hickey - which ended up looking more noticeable than Michael thought - was pretty damn extreme.

"Are we there yet?" Lillian's voice forced Michael back to earth.

"Almost." he sighed, slowing down when the traffic light turned red.

"You drive slower than dad." Lillian groaned, and if Michael could see correctly out of the mirror, she rested her head on Rich's shoulder. Great, he even had to protect his cousin from this jerk.

He liked Rich. He was fun to be around, and it was easy to kick his ass in Mario Kart, but the way he sometimes spoke about people... There was no way Michael was going to let him hurt Lillian.

"We're here." Michael sighed while finding a parking spot. Lillian didn't even wait for him to stop completely, she was out of the car, and stood next to it impatiently.

"Let's go!" she jumped up and down in those ridiculous shoes she was so fond of. Michael rolled his eyes, and reached for Jeremy's hand after they all left the car. He hated lying to Lillian, but she'd tell Michael's mothers if she knew the truth, so they had to do this. Jeremy smiled at Michael weakly, and pulled him closer, so they didn't look like strangers who decided to hold hands.

Michael quickly paid for their tickets, trying to act smooth. He didn't like to let people know he always had money on him. It would've been weird. Thankfully the others accepted that, and headed inside to get seated.

Of course, Michael ended up between Jeremy and Lillian. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, getting ready for two hours of boredom. That was when Jeremy leaned over and whispered some silly joke in his ear as he moved his hand to cover Michael's own. Oh, fuck.

"Uh I'm gonna go and get some popcorn or shit, anyone want something?" he stood up, glancing at the big screen. It was still empty, and people around them were talking to each other. This wasn't weird. He didn't look like he was spiraling into a gay panic. Totally not.

"Yeah, but I'll come with you." Jeremy stood up as well.

"No, that's okay, I'll-"

"I won't let you pay for everything, babe." Jeremy interrupted him, and holy shit. Holy shit. Did Jeremy just- holy shit.

Michael tried to choke out an intelligible sentence, and failed miserably. Jeremy's last word was echoing in his head. Babe.

"Ooh buy me a big popcorn and uhh..." Lillian saved the day. "Tea. I love tea. Rich?"

"I'm good."

"Okay, but I won't let you steal my popcorn." Lillian smacked him playfully. To be honest, Michael was amazed how close they were already. Not happy, just amazed.

"Cool, we'll be right back." Jeremy grinned, and grabbed Michael's hand yet again, leading him out to the hall. Michael heard Lillian mumble something that sounded awfully similar to "I don't think so", but he brushed it off.

"What do you want to eat?" Jeremy asked when they stopped outside, the smell of buttered popcorn filling their lungs.

"I dunno." Michael shrugged. Jeremy made a face, and Michael tried to ignore how good he looked when he bit his lip.

"Was I too much?"

Michael shook his head faster than ever, despite it making him dizzy. "No, _Lillian_ was too much."

That was a blatant lie, but Michael was not about to admit it to Jeremy. Yeah, it's just that you cause a gay panic every time you look at me? No thanks.

Jeremy snorted. "I'm buying us popcorn."

"You hate popcorn." Michael bit back a laugh. Jeremy shrugged.

"It's not like there's anything here I like." he explained, wallet already in his hands. Michael furrowed his brows.

"You know I hate saying that, but I can pay for these." he motioned towards the popcorn machine. Jeremy sighed.

"I know you hate it, so I'm saving you from it. Also I have been saving some money, so let me." he smiled nervously, and Michael was seriously ready to die right there. He didn't even notice how close they were standing until now.

"Are you two gonna kiss, or what?" Lillian's voice was harsh and loud, causing them to step back from each other.

"Well, now that you're here, that's off the table." Michael laughed, giving her the middle finger. Lillian's fingers formed a heart in response as she giggled.

"Seriously though, can I make a pic of you two kissing? It'll be awesome for your wedding." she said, and the boys yelled _"Whoa!"_ at the same time.

"Lily, were like seventeen, stop it." Michael hissed, blushing furiously. He wasn't imagining Jeremy in a suit. He wasn't imagining him walking towards Michael with a big smile on his face, and-

"Come on, guys. Mom said she wanted pictures." Lillian took out her phone. "Why do you look so scared? It's not like this would be your first kiss, right?"

Michael and Jeremy shared a look. How far were they willing to go? How far was Jeremy willing to go? Because Michael would've been ready to kiss him days ago, so that wasn't a question. Jeremy bit his lip. Michael nodded slightly.

"Of course not." Jeremy said eventually and tugged on Michael's arm so they were fully facing each other. "Get your camera ready."

Lillian squealed, but Michael barely even noticed. This was happening, this was actually happening, he was about to kiss Jeremy, holy shit-

His mind went blank after Jeremy pulled him closer by his waist, and carefully pressed his lips against Michael's. Oh. Michael slowly moved his hands to Jeremy's upper arms, holding him close as he slightly angled his head.

Don't get me wrong. This wasn't perfect, not at all. The cinema was loud, some weird music was playing from speakers above them, and Lillian was looking at them, probably taking photos by now... But Michael wouldn't have traded this moment for anything in the world.

Jeremy pulled back way too soon, and flashed a smile before turning back to Lillian. "Got a good pic?"

"Multiple." she said, grinning. "Anyways, Rich decided he wants nachos, so I came to help."

"Nachos? That's like the ultimate douchebag food in a cinema." Michael laughed breathlessly. He didn't even notice when Jeremy moved away to get the food. There was too much going on inside his head.

He helped Jeremy and Lillian bring the popcorn, tea and - to Michael's sorrow, - nachos back to their seats. They were outside for quite a long time, the movie was already playing. Cool. Michael sat in his seat, occasionally glancing at Jeremy, who seemed far too invested in the movie. Who knows, maybe he actually was into romantic comedies, despite his reaction to them earlier. Michael felt like he didn't know anything about his best friend, but he did add that he's a good kisser to his mental list.

After the movie ended - Michael had no idea what was it about, - they all went outside to find Michael's car. It's gotten pretty dark while they were in the cinema, so they had a harder time with it than they originally thought.

"That's it, I'm walking." Lillian sighed after a good two minutes. Michael rolled his eyes.

"You don't even know which direction to go." he mumbled as his phone's flashlight's reflection blinded him once again.

"I'll go with her." Rich said with a smirk. Michael turned around in record time.

"You are not-"

"Calm down, were trying to give you two some alone time." Lillian said, grabbing Rich's hand. "Good luck with your car!"

With that, they were already on their way back to the house. Michael groaned.

"Come on, I think it's around the corner." Jeremy nudged him, surprisingly quiet. Turns out, the Cruiser was not around the corner, rather right in front of them, which took several minutes for them to realize.

After some tense giggling, they finally got into the car. It was too quiet, even after Michael started the engine and turned on the radio.

"So." he finally spoke up. "That happened."

"Yeah, sorry bout it." Jeremy mumbled. "I couldn't think of a reason we could've used."

"Yeah, no problem." Michael said awkwardly. The rest of the ride was quiet once again, only the sound of some random song filling the car. Michael sighed as he stopped the car in front of Jeremy's house.

"Thanks for the ride." Jeremy smiled tightly, and left the car in a hurry. Michael had to restrain himself from banging his head against the wheel. Jeremy knew.

He started to make his way back home. Thankfully he didn't live far away from Jeremy, so the ride was fairly short. As soon as he got there, he texted Christine. He needed help.

_To: Chris_

we went on a double date w/ lily and rich

_From: Chris_

Oh, they're dating?

_To: Chris_

nope. just an awkward double date with 4 friends. fun.

_From: Chris_

Did something happen?

_To: Chris_

he called me babe

and we kissed

Michael was blushing furiously as he typed it out. Oh gosh, he kissed Jeremy. Fuck.

_From: Chris_

Can I call you?

_To: Chris_

sure, i just gotta say hi to my mothers

He left the car, phone in hand. The house was loud with laughter as he entered.

"I'm home!" he yelled, taking off his shoes. He really didn't want to deal with his family right now, so he quickly kissed his mothers on the cheek and ruffled Lillian's hair (that earned him a punch in his stomach) before he went downstairs to his room. He flopped on the bed, and dialed Christine. She answered in record time.

"He did WHAT?" she practically screamed right into his ear.

"Ouch." Michael winced. "It was weird. Like Lillian wanted a picture? And I was like fuck off, but Miah was like sure, and then he kissed me."

His voice was hushed, not wanting for anyone to hear him. That would've caused questions Michael wasn't ready to answer.

"I'm going to murder him." Christine muttered, seemingly more to herself than to Michael. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just." Michael groaned. "I don't know. It doesn't seem fair."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we don't feel the same thing, we didn't feel the same thing, and we never will feel the same goddamn thing." he stared at the wall beside him. A polaroid picture of the whole squad was staring back. "I'm an asshole for getting into this the first place."

"You didn't know better." Christine said. "It happens. But you're his best friend."

"Yeah, and only that." Michael laughed with no humour as he stood up and walked towards the picture. "Face it, Chris. He can't ever know about this."

Christine sighed. The line was silent for a few seconds. "I just hope you don't do anything stupid."

"Why would I do anything stupid?" Michael bit his lip, touching the picture gently. Then, "I have to break up with him."

"What?"

Only, the voice didn't come from the phone. Michael spun around faster than ever, and suddenly he was looking at Lillian and Jeremy. Lillian was looking at him angrily, and Jeremy just looked... Shocked.

"I'll call you back." Michael managed to choke out, not breaking eye contact with Jeremy as he hung up the phone. "What are you doing here?"

"I- uh I left my phone in your car, and I need it, so." Jeremy stuttered with tears in his eyes. Actual tears. What the fuck was going on?

"What do you mean break up with him?" Lillian asked eventually, her hands shaking. Michael looked at her seriously.

"I believe that's between me and Jeremy." he said sternly.

Lillian sighed, and left the basement without a word. Michael looked at Jeremy again. Oh boy.


	5. This Is It Then?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy knew it was coming. This didn't make it easier.

The ground under Jeremy's legs seemed too unstable to stand on, but he managed to stay in his place, while not breaking eye contact with Michael as Lillian left the room. His eyes were burning, but he quickly forced a smile and wiped away the tears.

"Are you okay? You're crying." Michael seemed genuinely worried. Jeremy let out a laugh he only used on the stage.

"Yeah, I thought some fake tears would make this more real. For Lillian." he lied, forcing the sobs back. He couldn't let Michael see him fall apart. "So what's up?"

Michael seemed taken aback for a second. "I guess we should break up."

Jeremy nodded. He would've been lying if he said he wasn't thinking about it. It didn't seem fair, especially after that kiss. Jeremy basically kept forcing himself on Michael, living in a delusional dream where Michael liked him back. Pathetic.

"Were you talking to Christine?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Michael nodded. "Why?"

"Oh, she... Uh she called me to gush about some musical she saw, and then we started talking about other things, and... Yeah." Michael scratched the back of his head. Jeremy didn't understand, Christine always called him when she found anything new Broadway related.

"Okay." he sighed. "Uh I guess this is it then?"

"Yeah. We're officially not dating." Michael grinned, and offered a hand. "Ex-boyfriends?"

Jeremy shook Michael's extended hand with a smirk, blinking hard to keep his tears inside. "Ex-boyfriends."

After that, everything was like a blur. Jeremy muttered something about dinner, got his phone from the PT Cruiser, and left. He was already halfway to his house when he realized he didn't say goodbye to Michael's mothers. Michael was now probably telling them they broke up, but stayed friends. The thought made Jeremy tear up again, but this time he let it out.

He tried to keep quiet as he arrived home, hoping his dad was already sleeping or doing something so Jeremy could sneak up to his room. He wasn't that lucky.

"Hey, how was-" his dad looked up from a newspaper when Jeremy tried to reach the stairs next to the couch. "What happened?"

Jeremy opened his mouth, tried to come up with a lie, but he ended up shaking his head while burying it in his hands. Suddenly, a hand was on his shaking shoulder, pulling him into a hug. He quickly wrapped his arms around his dad, letting out sobs after sobs.

He didn't know for how long they stayed there, maybe a minute, maybe an hour. After Jeremy's breathing slowed down, he pulled away carefully.

"I messed up everything." he said. His dad just huffed and guided him to the couch to sit.

"It's a Heere family trait." That earned a weak laugh, but it faded quickly. "Wanna talk about it?"

Jeremy nodded. He really wanted to. He wanted his dad to know everything, he wanted advice and support, and just his dad to be there.

"I'm in love with Michael." he said, eyes burning again. He took a deep breath, waiting for his dad's reaction.

"I know, son."

Not the reaction he was waiting for. "You... You do?"

"Of course." his dad laughed sadly. "You look at him the same way I used to look at your mother."

Jeremy huffed. "I'm an idiot."

"Again, Heere family trait." his dad laughed. "So what have you done this time?"

Jeremy took a deep breath. "I got into a fake relationship with him, which was totally unfair, because he doesn't like me anyways, but I wanted him to, so I did it, and then we kissed and now he said we should break up, and I don't want this to end, and I don't know what to do."

Jeremy's dad looked at him for a few seconds before speaking up. "Have you tried talking to him?"

Jeremy snorted. "Sure, I'd like to mess up our friendship even more."

"In times like this, it's better to listen to your heart instead of your head." his dad said eventually. "Do you wanna stay home tomorrow?"

Jeremy had no idea. It seemed tempting to just stay home and mope around all day, but at the same time, he didn't want to be alone. It was the mental image of crying in front of Michael that made him nod. "Yeah, that'd be good."

"Okay, champ." his dad smiled sadly. "I'll leave some money, you can order something if you want to. I probably won't get home early, so please eat something."

"Yessir." Jeremy stood up. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being a good dad." Jeremy said, leaving to get to his room without another word. He fell into his bed, and without even changing his clothes, or bothering to charge his phone, he fell asleep.

He would've been lying if he said he slept well. He woke up every other hour, just to remember what happened, and fall asleep again. He woke up fully when a ray of sunshine temporarily blinded him. He sighed, and tried to unlock his phone just to find it dead.

He stood up and threw the phone on the bed. It was probably for the better, he thought. The thought of dealing with his friends today seemed impossible. He felt numb, almost like a dummy who was controlled by someone else.

Cereal. He needed cereal, that always improved his mood. Only when he found it in the kitchen, he remembered that time when he and Michael had a cereal fight, and they spent the whole afternoon cleaning up the mess, laughing... He slowly put the box back to its place.

The clock on the wall was too loud. Jeremy barely looked at it before leaving the room. 10AM. His phone was probably full of messages from Brooke and Christine. Maybe even Rich. Definitely not Michael though.

He flinched at the sound of the doorbell. He looked down at his clothes. Just what he wore the day before, only a bit more wrinkly. He bit his lip and opened the door to reveal Chloe and Brooke.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked before Chloe pushed him aside and entered the house.

"What are _you_ doing, Heere?" she asked with a grin. Jeremy rolled his eyes at the pun.

"Dying in pain." he answered after hugging Brooke briefly and closing the door behind her. "You?"

"We have free period, and you weren't answering your phone, so we came to see how you're doing." Brooke said, giving him a sad smile. "Christine told us what happened between you and Michael."

"Christine?" Jeremy felt his eyes widen. "Why her?"

He was meant to say_ "Why not Michael?"_, but he stopped himself. He didn't know if he could say his name out loud without becoming an emotional mess again.

"Michael haven't talked to anyone today." Chloe said, hands on her hips. "Not even Rich."

"Yeah. It's super weird." Brooke made a face. "Jen said he was totally quiet even during class."

"Jen? Really?" Chloe snickered. Brooke bit her lip.

"Don't tell her I called her that." she smiled sheepishly. "Or she'll choose our next date, and I honestly don't want to-"

"Hold on, date?" Jeremy chimed in. Chloe looked equally shocked.

"Uh yeah?" Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"You two are dating?" Chloe found her voice. Jeremy was somewhere between being relieved that the conversation wasn't about him anymore, and just shocked.

"Yeah, have been for a while." Brook smiled. "Wait, you didn't know?"

"Uh no? Oh my god, Jake owes me twenty bucks." Chloe grinned victoriously, making Jeremy and Brooke laugh.

"We should go back." Brooke checked her phone. "Oh, before I forget." she opened her bag and pulled out a sandwich. "I noticed you never eat enough if nobody points it out, so I expect this to be gone next time I see you."

Jeremy took the sandwich with a thankful grin, and waved goodbye to the girls. Chloe turned around before he could shut the door.

"You two need to talk this out, you know that, right?" she asked, and as usual, she didn't wait for a response. "For once in you life, do something about the thing you love, especially if that thing is Mell."

"It was he who broke up with me." Jeremy sighed.

"He ended the _fake_ relationship. Just think about that." Chloe rolled her eyes. "And eat that sandwich, you look like a skeleton."

With that, she followed Brooke to her mother's car, and Jeremy watched as they drove away. He bit his lip. What was Chloe taking about? There was nothing positive in the breakup. He shook his head and went back to the living room, turning the TV on. He stayed like that the whole day, occasionally glancing guiltily at the sandwich Brooke got him.

When it was finally dark outside, he turned the TV off, and went upstairs. His phone was still lying on the bed. Jeremy huffed, and got his charger, getting ready for some messages.

Some. Not a hundred, which is exactly what he got. An alarming amount of "where are you"s from Christine, as expected. There were some from Jake, Rich and Jenna as well. Brooke wrote him a few times too, her latest text being "Okay, I'm going over", but none of them made Jeremy's heart jump like the ones Michael sent him.

_From: Micah_

hey you need a ride?

okay ig

are you mad or smt?

jeremy where are you

text me when you get this

this is not funny

did something happen?

please call me.

Jeremy closed his eyes for a few seconds, not letting any more tears escape as he touched the dial button. Michael picked up immediately.

"Thank god you're okay." Michael said, sounding actually relieved. "I mean Brooke said you were okay, but it was like you were ignoring me, so-"

"Michael." Jeremy laughed. Gosh, he missed this idiot so much. "You're rambling again."

"Sorry. So what happened?" Michael asked, his voice much quieter.

"Nothing much, I was feeling sick in the morning, so dad told me to stay home." Jeremy made a face. That sounded fake, but oh well.

"Okay." Michael sighed. "Jesus Christ, dude, never disappear like this again. I seriously thought something happened."

He didn't have to say what he meant by something, Jeremy knew. The last time he ignored Michael, he was under the SQUIP's influence. He closed his eyes in guilt. He didn't have the right to act all hurt and shit while Michael probably felt like he did back then.

"Sorry." Jeremy mumbled. "I won't. I just needed some sleep."

"Did you eat today?" Jeremy didn't say anything, which was apparently all the answer Michael needed. "I'll be over in a minute, we're going to Burger King."

Jeremy smiled honestly for the first time that day, and mumbled a quick "Okay." before hanging up. He changed his clothes in record time, and looked in the mirror. The fact that he couldn't have Michael as a boyfriend didn't mean he couldn't have him as a friend. Just like the past years. It'll be fine.

He heard Michael's car pull up to the driveway, which made his heart beat just a bit faster. He decided to ignore it as he pocketed his wallet, and practically ran out to the old PT Cruiser.

"Hey." Michael greeted him with a smile. Jeremy nodded as he was fidgeting with his seatbelt. "So, are you ready to eat?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Jeremy laughed nervously before forcing himself to calm down. He could do this.

Turns out, it was easier to act like he didn't like Michael while they were doing something they always did, meaning getting food and bickering in a Burger King.

"I swear to god, Jeremy." Michael groaned when Jeremy wouldn't stop singing High School Musical in the nearly empty place.

"This feeling's like no other-" Jeremy sang, dramatically clenching his fists.

"I'm leaving you here." Michael laughed finally, throwing some fries at him, causing both of them to start giggling uncontrollably.

"We should go back before dad gets home." Jeremy moved to check the time on Michael's phone, since his own was still on the charger. He froze when he saw the background.

"Uh." Michael stopped breathing, looking at Jeremy like a deer in headlights, quickly pulling his phone away from him. "Yeah, we should go."

Jeremy couldn't move.

Michael's background was the picture Lillian took. The one of their first kiss.

"So. Wanna explain?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters on one day? It's more likely than you'd think.   
Imma be honest, I wanted this to be pure angst to make my friend cry, but I'm literally unable to write sad stuff, so.   
Y'all know the drill, don't hesitate to leave a comment, cause they seriously make my day! ❤️


	6. Everyone Needs A Happy Ending

The air suddenly wasn't enough for Michael. He felt dizzy, as if he was watching himself from third person like he was in Apocalypse Of The Damned. He glanced at his phone before looking back at Jeremy.

"Earth to Michael," Jeremy laughed nervously. "Can we talk in your car?"

Michael couldn't think of the word "sure", so he just nodded and followed Jeremy outside after dumping the wrappers on their trays into a trashcan. Once they made it to the Cruiser though, Jeremy kinda just stood there, looking at Michael expectantly. Michael sighed.

He knew it was a bad idea to keep the picture, but... he liked it. After he explained Lillian he and Jeremy "broke up" because they thought they'd be better off as friends, she just nodded like she knew something Michael didn't. Then she sent him the pictures she took, not listening to Michael telling her not to, and once they were on his phone, he really didn't have a choice but to check them.

There was about six pictures, half of them blurry and the light was weird on two, but the last one was basically perfect. Jeremy's eyes were closed, and he looked so relaxed despite the blush on his cheeks. His arms were wrapped around Michael's waist, but his hands were kinda awkwardly hovering above his body, not quite touching.

Michael himself looked like he was drowning and Jeremy was the lifeboat in the middle of the sea. His knees were bent, and his hands were gripping Jeremy's arms like his life depended on it.

When Michael first saw it, his breath hitched. They looked like a couple. A real one. He didn't even think when he set the picture as his wallpaper. He never let anyone touch his phone anyways. Well, anyone except Jeremy, but he could be careful around him, he thought.

Apparently he thought wrong, because Jeremy was still staring at him, and though he didn't look mad, he was definitely tense. Michael took a deep breath, and leaned against the car. Jeremy slowly followed his lead.

"I'm sorry," Michael clenched his fists in the pockets of his hoodie, probably hard enough to draw blood.

"For what?" Jeremy asked. Michael saw he was looking at him from the corner of his eye, but he refused to maintain eye contact. The ground in front of him was easier to look at anyways.

"For this whole mess," Michael muttered eventually. "I thought it was gonna be all jokes and fun, but..."

He stopped as he closed his eyes and sighed. Jeremy huffed next to him. "But it wasn't."

"Yeah." Michael opened his eyes slowly, this time looking at the night sky. "I'm the dumbass who had to get a hickey from his best friend to realize his feelings," he said with a bittersweet smile.

It was quiet for what it seemed like hours, but then Jeremy slipped his hand into Michael's pocket, intertwining their fingers.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, voice barely louder than a whisper. Michael was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat.

"I was scared you'd freak out," he admitted, finally looking at Jeremy. He looked back with a determined look Michael rarely saw on him anymore, but that didn't mean he liked it any less.

"I wouldn't have," he said, stepping just a bit closer.

"Why don't you hate me?" Michael looked away briefly, but Jeremy gently cupped his face with his free hand, and guided his glance back to him.

"Because I don't think I'm capable of doing so," he smiled softly. Michael's eyes widened, and Jeremy just laughed breathlessly while nodding. "For a few months, yes," he answered the question Michael didn't dare to ask.

"So the kiss-" he started just to get interrupted by Jeremy.

"I wanted that more than anything," he said seriously. "Then I hated myself for it, because I felt like I forced myself on you."

"Bullshit," Michael grinned weakly. His throat felt right as he leaned closer to Jeremy. "So if I were to kiss you right now...?"

"I would like that," he nodded, releasing Michael's hand to wrap his arms around his neck. Michael smiled and leaned in to meet Jeremy halfway.

It was even better than in the cinema. Even though Jeremy tasted like fries, and Michael was awkwardly trying to wrap his hands around his waist to pull him closer, but the movement was too fast, causing their teeth to collide with and audible click. Jeremy pulled away laughing, but pressed his lips against Michael's again soon enough, parting his lips slightly, letting Michael's tongue inside. Then he changed the angle, deepening the kiss, and Michael had to stop himself from doing something they shouldn't do in public.

"We should..." he pulled away just enough to be able to speak. "We should get you home."

"Yeah," Jeremy replied with a raspy voice, which was unnecessary distracting. How was Michael supposed to drive in this state? "Any minute now."

With that, Jeremy kissed him again and again and then again, just for good measure. Michael laughed quietly when they parted again. "Seriously, your dad is gonna kill me."

"Nonsense, dad loves you," Jeremy grinned, but he did get in the car without any difficulties. Michael managed to sit behind the wheel and start driving towards the street they both lived in.

When he stopped in front of the Heere family home, he smiled at Jeremy, who leaned over to capture his lips in another kiss. Michael kissed back without thinking, burying his hand in Jeremy's hair. They were making out for lord knows how long before his phone started ringing.

"Hello?" he picked up without bothering to look at the caller ID. This turned out to be a bad idea, because when he heard Mr Heere's voice, he nearly choked on thin air.

"Michael, I'm happy for you two, but could you let Jeremy inside now?" he asked, sounding tired. Michael looked up, and saw him looking at them from the window. "I'm pretty sure I should ground him."

"Is that dad?" Jeremy furrowed his brows, taking the phone from Michael, who was frozen. Did he just force Jeremy out of the closet? What if he hates him now?

"Uh huh," Jeremy said calmly, talking to Mr Heere through the phone while his free hand was playing with Michael's fingers. "I know, sorry. Didn't think it'd take that long. Yeah. Okay." he ended the call, and looked at Michael as he gave back his phone. "Dad wants to talk to you too, so..."

"Aren't you mad?" Michael raised his eyebrows. Jeremy looked at him with confusion in his eyes before laughing.

"Oh, I came out to him after you broke up with me," he said nonchalantly. "It would've been hard to come up with a lie, cause you know. I was a mess."

Michael's eyes widened even more than before. Jeremy kissed him on the cheek, and got out of the car. It took Michael some time, but he followed him into the house to face Mr Heere.

"Boys," he nodded sternly, making Michael want to flee as soon as he could. It was like Jeremy noticed this, because suddenly they were holding hands again, causing Michael's shaking to stop.

"Hi, Mr Heere," Michael grinned and waved with his free hand awkwardly.

"So what are your intentions with my son?"

"Dad, do you seriously have to act like this every time I bring someone home?" Jeremy groaned. "You almost scared Christine away, now Michael? Like how?"

Mr Heere smiled at that. "I'm proud you could solve this," he said, then turned to Jeremy. "But a note would've been nice."

"I know. Sorry." Jeremy squeezed Michael's hand. Michael squeezed back as he pulled him a little closer.

"Okay. I'm too happy to ground you, so consider yourself lucky," Mr Heere grinned, placing a hand on Jeremy's, and the other on Michael's shoulder. "Michael, do your mothers know you're here?"

Michael nodded. He told them he was coming over before he left the house in a hurry. "They wished me luck, so I guess they were okay with it."

"Wished you luck?" Jeremy snorted. "What did you say to them?"

Michael blushed. "That I was gonna apologize and get you food."

"Fifty percent done," Jeremy smiled. Michael looked up to see Mr Heere gone.

"Hey, when did your dad leave?" he asked, confused.

"Probably when he realized we're gonna make out in the doorway." Jeremy stuck out his tongue to wet his lips. Michael sucked in a breath, and looked around one more time before leaning in for another kiss. Jeremy pulled away way too quickly. "Wait, why did you want to apologize?"

"Bitch you didn't pick up the phone all day, I thought you were mad or something," Michael rolled his eyes with a smirk. "So I'm sorry for breaking up with you."

"I dunno if I should forgive you," Jeremy laughed playfully, but he held Michael's hands, and he didn't look like he was about to let go of them any soon.

"Why don't you come over tomorrow, say goodbye to Lillian, and I'll convince you?" Michael whispered into Jeremy's ear, and grinned when he heard Jeremy's breath hitch.

"That... Sounds like a good plan," he said quietly. "Wait, Lillian leaves tomorrow?"

Michael nodded sadly. "Her break is officially over, so she needs to get back to school on Monday."

Jeremy pouted. "When should I go over?"

"Mom will bring her to the airport at around 10," Michael said, trying to remember the exact details. "I know you hate waking up early, and it's already almost midnight, so you decide."

He left after a quick goodnight kiss, and he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He did it.

When he got home, unsurprisingly everyone was asleep, so he quietly went down to his room and changed into his PJs (which was really just Pacman boxers). He smiled at the pictures on his wall, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

"Wake up, asshole!" Lillian's voice filled the house at... Way too early, Michael decided. He groaned and rolled out of bed, huffing when he hit the floor. "Are you up? Your favourite cousin is leaving soon."

"You leave in two goddamn hours!" Michael yelled back after checking the time on his phone, making sure Lillian could hear through his door. Based on the giggling, he succeeded. He didn't bother putting any pants on, instead he found his glasses and made his way upstairs.

Maybe he should've stayed downstairs and thought about this decision, because seconds later he was in the kitchen in just boxer shorts, staring at Jeremy. Well, fuck. He tried to play it off, and poured himself some coffee with a grunt.

"Wow, really?" Lillian appeared in the doorway. "I'm not even out of the house, and you're already half naked?"

"If you don't want me to dump this on you," Michael raised his mug slightly, "then I'd advise you to shut the fuck up."

He grinned at Jeremy, and downed his coffee without putting anything in it. It's not like he wanted it to taste good, he wanted to wake up.

"Uh could you put something on?" Jeremy asked quietly, making Michael turn around. He spotted the redness of Jeremy's face, and that he avoided eye contact.

"What, do I distract you?" he laughed awkwardly, wiggling his hips slightly. His eyes widened at the choked off sound Jeremy let out. "Oh my god, I do."

"Look, I really don't want to deal with a boner in front of everyone, so..." Jeremy bit his lip. Michael nodded, and went downstairs to put on some real clothes, trying not to think about what was gonna happen if they will have the house for themselves for who knows how many hours. He didn't need a boner problem either.

"Good morning, honey," his mom smiled when Michael went upstairs again. He grinned back. "I guess everything went well with Jeremy."

"Yeah," Michael nodded. "We're uh... We're back together."

"Finally!" Lillian entered the living room with a suitcase. "I was wondering how long will it take."

Michael raised a brow in confusion. Lillian only laughed with Michael's mom.

"Did you seriously think I believed all that bullshit?" Lillian asked.

"Language," Michael's mom said immediately. "But she's right."

To that, Jeremy stepped into the room as well. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we were just talking about you two trying to fool us." Michael's mom said nonchalantly. Jeremy's eyes widened, and Michael had to close his own eyes for a second.

"Say what?" he asked in a monotone voice, flinching at Lillian's laugh.

"Come on, why do you think I made you kiss?"

"And what kind of mother would I be if I didn't know when my son lies to me?" Michael's mom handed Lillian a bag from the couch. "It took me some time, yes, but looking back, it was pretty obvious."

_Michael.exe had stopped working._

"You... You knew?" Jeremy asked, his voice about an octave higher than usual.

"Obviously. Abigail knew it as well, but she wanted to stay out of it," Michael's mom rolled her eyes. Jeremy let out a surprised laugh.

"Can we go now?" Lillian asked, bags and suitcase in hand.

"Already?" Michael raised his brows. She still had an hour or so before she had to leave.

"Yeah, Rich is waiting for me at the airport," Lillian smirked. Michael rolled his eyes, and gave his cousin a hug.

"Thanks," he mumbled, and Lillian nodded into his shoulder. He let her go, and watched as Jeremy hugged her as well with a smile. So she knew. Michael didn't know what to think at this point.

"Okay, food is in the fridge, I won't be back for about two hours," Michael's mom said, kissing Michael on the cheek, slipping something into his hand. "Take care, boys!"

With that, she and Lillian dashed out of the house, slamming the door behind them. Michael raised his hand to see what his mom gave him, and let out a chuckle.

"What is it?" Jeremy asked. Michael enjoyed as his boyfriend's face went from pale to red in a few seconds as he held up the condom.

"So, what now?" Michael smirked, stepping closer to Jeremy.

"I mean... She did give us permission."

About half an hour later Michael was laying in his bed, panting. Who knew sex was such an exercise? He enjoyed the silence that was only broken by the shower Jeremy just turned on. Yeah, between the two of them, he needed a shower more.

A soft buzzing coming from the bedside table made him turn his head lazily to look at Jeremy's phone. Christine's name was flashing on the screen, and Michael was not about to make her worry, so he accepted the call.

"Jeremiah Heere, I'm actually going to murder you-" Christine started as soon as Michael picked up.

"Don't hurt me," he laughed, interrupting Chris before she was mad enough to come over. "Jeremy can't come to the phone right now."

"Michael? Is Jeremy with you? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's uh..." Michael bit his lip with a smile. "He's in the shower."

Christine was quiet for a surprisingly long time before she spoke up again. "I've been worried for a whole day. And you two were having sex?"

Michael flinched as Christine's voice grew louder and louder with each word. "Um. Yes?"

"I'm actually going to kill you both. You first," Christine said. "You have two days to live, because on Monday, I'll find you."

As it turned out, the boys had more than two days to live. Several more years filled with happy and sad moments. Nine wonderful years, despite the fights, because after every fight, there was an apology.

As Michael loosened his tie a bit, he looked at the wall where the picture of their first kiss was projected next to the one they shared after Jeremy asked the Question.

After he finished dancing with his moms, he made his way back to the table where the - once - huge cake was lying. The guests didn't leave much, but Michael didn't blame them. It was a Dillinger-Valentine speciality after all.

He leaned against the surprisingly sturdy table as he scanned through the dancing couples. Lillian was dancing with Rich, a sight Michael had gotten used to. They didn't believe in marriage, but their first baby was already on the way.

Not too far from them, Jenna and Brooke were just standing and talking with drinks in their hands. Brooke smiled and waved when she saw Michael looking at them.

He nodded with a smile, and looked over to the other side of the crowd. He didn't see Chloe, but Jake was talking to Jeremy's aunt, probably about the cake he and his wife made.

Christine was dancing with her new girlfriend, looking carefree and happy. Michael didn't really know this girl, but she seemed nice. She also didn't have a problem with Christine being friends with Jake and Jeremy, which was already a bonus point.

Just when Michael was about to give up, Jeremy appeared next to him, face red from the heat.

"Hey, handsome. You look lonely," he smirked, making Michael laugh.

"Yeah, my date kinda ditched me," he stepped away from the table, closer to Jeremy.

"He sounds like an asshole," Jeremy laughed. "What do you say? Wanna dance, Mr Mell-Heere?"

Michael's smile widened as he took Jeremy's hand. "It'd be an honour, Mr Mell-Heere."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The first fic that's more than 10K words long, and finished.  
I totally didn't procrastinate writing the last part because I didn't want to let go of this story, what on earth are you talking about? *nervous laughter*  
Anyways, what were your thoughts? Don't hesitate to leave a comment, because I love to get responses from you guys. Thank you all for reading, and see you when I post my next work! Ily ❤️


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